Author: Matthew Liedke

Journalist and film critic in Minnesota. Graduate of Rainy River College and Minnesota State University in Moorhead. Outside of movies I also enjoy sports, craft beers and the occasional video game.

Spotlight review

Director:
Tom McCarthy
Cast:
Mark Ruffalo
Michael Keaton
Rachel McAdams
Liev Schrieber
John Slattery
Brian d’Arcy James
Rated: R

“Spotlight” follows the titular investigative journalism team at the Boston Globe in the early 2000s when the reporters uncovered a massive child molestation cover-up within the Catholic Church.

The film picks up when new editor Marty Baron (Schreiber) tasks the Spotlight team, which includes Mike Rezendes (Ruffalo), Walter Robinson (Keaton), Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams) and Matt Carroll (James), with digging deeper into the cover-up by the church which had been reported on to a smaller extent beforehand.

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Love the Coopers review

Director:
Jessie Nelson
Cast:
Diane Keaton
John Goodman
Ed Helms
Amanda Seyfried
Alan Arkin
Olivia Wilde
Anthony Mackie
Marisa Tomei
June Squibb
Jake Lacy
Rated: PG-13

“Love the Coopers” is a story of a large extended family who are, for the most part, all dreading a Christmas Eve dinner where everyone gets together. The two main characters of the film are Charlotte (Keaton) and Sam (Goodman), a couple who’ve been married for 40 years, however, their relationship is falling apart. This holiday stress coincides with their son Hank (Helms) losing his job, having a strained relationship with his ex-wife and children and their daughter, Eleanor (Wilde) meeting a soldier named Joe at an airport and developing a friendship with him.

These plot threads and more, such as one of Hank’s sons having a teen romance and another where Charlotte’s sister Emma (Tomei) being arrested ,develop for much of the film’s first half until they converge when everyone meets for Christmas.

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The Peanuts Movie review

Director:
Steve Martino
Cast:
Noah Schnapp
Hadley Belle Miller
Francesca Capaldi
Alexander Garfin
Rated: G

It’s a full length feature Charlie Brown!

In this computer animated film based off the classic Schulz comic, Charlie Brown (Schnapp) has a goal of winning the affections of a young girl who just moved to the neighborhood and is in his class.

As usual, though, Charlie runs into troubles, whether they be of his own or other people’s doing.

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REVIEW: ‘Spectre’ (007)

Director:
Sam Mendes
Cast:
Daniel Craig
Christoph Waltz
Lea Seydoux
Ralph Fiennes
Ben Whishaw
Naomie Harris
Rated: PG-13

James Bond (Craig) is back and in “Spectre,” the latest in the 007 franchise, and is investigating a lead from the former M played by Judi Dench who was killed in the last film.

M’s message, recorded before her death, brings Bond in contact with an evil organization headed by a sinister villain played by Christoph Waltz. At the same time, Bond has to deal with a new intelligence program which threatens the future of the 00 agency.

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Burnt review

Director:
John Wells
Cast:
Bradley Cooper
Sienna Miller
Daniel Bruhl
Riccardo Scamarcio
Sam Keely
Rated: R

Bradley Cooper is Adam Jones in “Burnt,” a chef who became famous in Paris for his talent before hitting hard times as an alcoholic and drug addict. The movie begins, though, with Jones being a sober, more humble version of himself, ready to return to the culinary world.

To do so, Jones goes to London, and through some of his connections (although they are reluctant) opens a new restaurant with the hope of attaining the coveted third Michelin Star.

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Our Brand is Crisis review

Director:
David Gordon Green
Cast:
Sandra Bullock
Billy Bob Thornton
Anthony Mackie
Joaquim de Almeida
Ann Dowd
Rated: R

“Our Brand is Crisis” is based off a documentary of the same name and tells the story of an election in Bolivia in the early 2000s. Sandra Bullock plays Jane in the film, an experienced political strategist who has been tasked with helping a specific candidate win.

The film explores the different tactics that were used in the election and shows the game that is played for voters.

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Halloween Horror Fest 2015: Uwe Boll’s disaster, ‘Alone in the Dark’

To say that Director Uwe Boll has had a rocky career would be an understatement. Boll has helmed multiple films, many of which based off video games, and they have been critically panned, often times heavily.

My most memorable experience with Boll’s work was 2005’s “Alone in the Dark” which I watched in the theater, and like his other films, this one was a mess.

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Steve Jobs review

Director:
Danny Boyle
Cast:
Michael Fassbender
Kate Winslet
Seth Rogen
Jeff Daniels
Rated: R

“Steve Jobs” takes place over the course of three large scale unveilings of new computers. As these events take place, the film centers on Jobs’ (Fassbender) relationships with the important people in his life.

The film shows the tech mogul’s relationship with his associate Steve Wozniak (Rogen), former Apple CEO John Sculley (Daniels), his daughter Lisa and assistant Joanna Hoffman (Winslet).

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Rock the Kasbah review

Director:
Barry Levinson
Cast:
Bill Murray
Bruce Willis
Leem Lubany
Kate Hudson
Rated: R

“Rock the Kasbah” tells the story of Richie Lanz (Murray), a music talent manager who has fallen on hard times. In an attempt to get back on his feet, Lanz travels to Afghanistan for a USO show with his singer Ronnie played by Zooey Deschanel.

Things take an immediate downturn in the country, though, when his act practically abandons him. To get things back on track, Lanz seeks out talent for an Afghanistan TV series titled “Afghan Star.”

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Jem and the Holograms review

Director:
Jon M. Chu
Cast:
Aubrey Peeples
Ryan Guzman
Juliette Lewis
Stefanie Scott
Rated: PG

Jerrica (Peeples) is a young girl living with her aunt, sister Kimber (Scott) and two cousins Shana (Perrineau) and Aja (Kiyoko). While Jerrica is shy, she does have great musical talent and one day, under the disguise of Jem, records herself playing an original song.

After Kimber uploads the Jem video to Youtube, Jerrica’s alter ego becomes a sensation in the music industry. But the situation gets complicated when she has to start dealing with Erica Raymond (Lewis), the head of a huge music label.

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